It was Madrid's first defeat in an global final since 2000 as doubts emerged regarding the state of the team following Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus.

Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey expects a great season after Atletico Madrid beat rivals Real Madrid to clinch the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday. "We have total confidence in our coach and giving excuses is not what Real Madrid do".

But Real Madrid came battling back, and held the lead with 15 minutes to go thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos.

You could argue Toni Kroos and Luka Modric offer enough creativity in central midfield for Real, but Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen would be a superb addition, as he would fit in well just in front of those two world class stars, and he has shown for Spurs that his ability to unlock defences is arguably the best in the Premier League, and while Paris Saint-Germain are sniffing around the dazzling Danish worldwide, it's now the time Real should look to lure the creative midfielder away from north London.

40 children killed in Yemen bus strike
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Interesting. One defeat and Real Madrid players are already pointing out that losing Ronaldo has been a massive blow to the team.

"We have to get the most out of the team and start to lift ourselves up now and start thinking about a league season which we are very excited about".

Real Madrid have been linked to several big names this summer, with Chelsea's Eden Hazard reportedly one of their main targets.

"We aren't happy with the result, it's not normal for us to concede four goals and we need to improve".

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